A mother who lost her life in a city under siege by the Russian army I live in Japan with my son February 24, 13:48

``Don't worry about me



.



Her mother lost her life in a city surrounded by Russian tanks the day after the military invasion began.



This war continues to destroy my family, my job, my hometown, and everything I cherish every day.



I, Shevchenko Olena, decided to live with her son in Japan, where we were evacuated.



(Yuka Hori, Reporter, News Department)

Suddenly the war started

It was the early morning of February 24, 2022.



Suddenly, I heard a loud explosion near my home in the capital Kyiv.



At first I thought it was an earthquake.



But with the sound of heavy artillery fire every five minutes, and a string of messages from friends telling me to run away, I knew the Russian invasion had begun.

In a panic, I woke my sleeping 13-year-old son and packed everything I needed into a single suitcase.



I got in the car with my friend's family and headed to the gas station, but there was no more fuel.



Even the supermarket had little water and canned food left.

Our goal was not the western part of Ukraine, where many evacuees headed, but Sumy, a city in the northern part of Ukraine where my family and my friends live.



Although it is about 360 kilometers from the capital Kyiv, it was still very congested with cars evacuating from Kyiv.



As I was praying



, I received a message saying that Sumi was surrounded by the Russian army.

In a city surrounded by Russian troops, my mother

A siege by Russian forces meant that Sumy could no longer be entered.



Above his head, something like a missile flashed past and he embraced his son with a crushing terror.



And I kept thinking about my 76-year-old mother, who lives alone in Soumi.

My mother had a weak heart, and I had always tried not to worry her, so I worried about whether I would be able to withstand the stress of the sudden start of the war, and I called her many times.



In fact, her mother's health seemed to deteriorate rapidly.



The next morning (25th) her mother had a heart attack and on the other end of her phone she complained repeatedly that her chest was hurting.



I called as many people as I could think of for help, but they refused, saying that all the doctors in the city had evacuated and that no ambulance could be dispatched.



As she gasped for breath, her mother said,

``Don't worry about me.

This was the last conversation I had with my mother.



It was the worst result I could have ever imagined.



A few days later, a neighbor buried her mother next to her father's grave and sent me a picture of her.

I couldn't hold my dead mother's hand or hug her.



I almost lost my mind, unable to accept the reality.



I continued to search for safety with my son, but the situation only got worse.



The city has been destroyed, and even if you go out onto the big road, all you can see are burning tanks and cars.



Lifelines such as electricity and gas were cut off, and mobile phones were no longer connected.



"I don't want to run away from Ukraine."



Actually, I thought so, but now that I lost my precious mother, I thought that I would never want to lose my son, so I decided to live with my son and two sisters. I decided to evacuate to Japan.

Evacuation life started in Japan

At the end of March last year, Shevchenko Olena (44) took refuge in Tokyo.

This time, he accepted the interview because he wanted to know the actual situation of the people who evacuated from Ukraine.



Olena is a single mother and her son Nazar, who evacuated with her, is now 14 years old.



Before the war, Olena worked at a branch of a foreign bank in Kyiv.

After evacuating to Japan, I started looking for a job to earn a living as soon as possible while living in public housing in Tokyo.



I knew that I needed Japanese to survive in Japan, so from the day I arrived, I started studying by making Japanese vocabulary cards.



However, it did not come to be able to speak immediately, and it was difficult to find a job.



In May, I finally found a part-time cleaning job.



However, day after day, carrying heavy garbage bags until late at night hurt my body, and after about two months I was unable to work.

Shevchenko Olena


"In Japan, where I can't speak the language, there weren't many options. I studied economics at a university in Ukraine and built up my career as a banker. I worked hard to get promoted and became a manager of 300 clients. It was very frustrating not to be able to make the most of the career I had worked so hard to build, but I chose safety over my career.In order to get the job I wanted, I had to learn Japanese as soon as possible. I keenly felt that I had to do it, and continued studying desperately.”

Although I started attending junior high school in Japan...

In June, my son, Nazar, also started attending a public junior high school in Tokyo.



I managed to buy everything I needed, such as new teaching materials and school uniforms.

However, without being able to speak Japanese, it was very difficult to keep up with classes and make friends, so I had to drop out after about a month.



For a while, I went to a Japanese language school every day, and decided to work hard until I was able to attend a Japanese junior high school again.

There is a time when such Nazar-kun supports my heart.



This is an “online class” delivered by a teacher at the school I used to attend in Kyiv.

Due to the seven-hour time difference, classes that start at 3:00 p.m. Japan time continue until midnight, but this is an important time for me to see my classmates who have evacuated to various places.



Classes are canceled every time a power outage occurs due to a large-scale missile attack by the Russian military, but when electricity is restored, classes resume, even if only for a short time.



On the day I visited for the interview, the scheduled class was canceled due to a power outage, so Nazar was studying by watching video materials.

Olena


: If the teacher doesn't show up when it's time, it means there will be a power outage today.


Classes have been canceled for about two months due to a large-scale attack, and they have just resumed, but they are taking a break again. At times like this, I watch videos and study on my own, but I think the best thing is to go to school every day and study. I'm very worried.All


the friends who participate in online classes are friends who have studied together since they were little, so it is a very important time for my son.There are children who are still in Kyiv due to family circumstances, and there are children who are still living in Germany. There are also children who have evacuated to , England, Kazakhstan, etc. My


son often asks me, ``Will you see them again?'' I answered, "Wow."

A new start, the power of evacuees

Olena continued to study Japanese hard together with Nazar-kun.

Last November, I was hired as a full-time employee at a staffing agency in Marunouchi, Tokyo.



The company also started a business to help evacuees from Ukraine.



With the support of employees who are fluent in English, Olena consults with other evacuees in Japan to find jobs of their choice.

Many of the evacuees are mentally unstable, so Ms. Olena carefully asks questions about what they are struggling with right now, and it is important to connect them to the necessary support.

Olena


: When I first came to Japan, I was in exactly the same situation, so I can understand the feelings of everyone who has evacuated to Japan


.


Just the other day, there were two young women who fled to Japan after their parents were killed by the Russian army and their homes destroyed

.

Just trying to ask them a simple question will make them cry.In such a situation, it is difficult to prepare a new life in Japan, learn Japanese, and find a job. I


want to do everything I can to help the evacuees as soon as possible so that they can continue to live in Japanese society.I want everyone to be happy.”

Woman evacuated from Ukraine


“It is very encouraging to have Olena here. It gives me a positive feeling that I can get a job and start a new life.For us evacuees, Olena is a 'star of hope'."

Olena's thoughts go to various places

In addition to her work, Olena also gives lectures to let many people in Japan know what is happening in Ukraine.



In February, I spoke to students in Japanese at a university in Tokyo.

Ms. Olena


“Before the war started, Kyiv was a peaceful and beautiful city.


I used to work as a banker here. Looking at the pictures makes me feel nostalgic. I was really happy at that time


. It changed in a day.Refugees


are people who have been deprived of their common sense.Thousands of people still lose their lives every day due to the artillery shelling from the Russian army. Please don't forget me.I


will start a new life in Japan from now on.I will be happy little by little."

My feelings for my dear mother are still...

Olena is steadily moving forward with her new life in Japan.



However, it is said that there is not a single day that he forgets Ukraine.



Olena's daily routine begins as soon as she wakes up, checking the news about what's happening in Ukraine.

Olena:


“It is very sad that the war in Ukraine is protracted. For a year now, every day, every day, the lives of the Ukrainian people have been taken by the Russian army and the cities have been destroyed. I hate Russia, in this war I lost the person I love the most, so many people lost their loved ones too, and for the world, the war continues in Ukraine But it's also very sad that it's become the norm."

On February 25th, it will be one year since Olena's mother Anastasia passed away.



While the pain of the war still hasn't healed, Olena uses a video from two years ago when she celebrated her mother's birthday.



We all gathered together and sang “Happy Birthday” together.

In front of the cake is Anastasia with a happy smile.



Remembering the happy times we all had together brings tears to my eyes.



Olena's strong wish now is for the war to end as soon as possible.

Olena


: "If it weren't for this war, my mother wouldn't have lost her life in this way. It makes me so sad that I can't even put it into words. I wish I could have done more at that time."


I'm still filled with guilt, thinking that

if I had just run through the woods, I could have reached the town where my mother was.

I feel like I'm living somewhere, and if the war is over and I can go back to Ukraine, my mother will welcome me as usual, but in reality no one will pick me up. Up


until now, whenever I had a problem, I always called my mother, but now, even if I have my cell phone in my hand, I realize that my mother is no longer there to call. It is very painful. I do not want the precious lives of many Ukrainian people to be lost any more.It is our greatest dream for Ukrainians to end the war as soon as possible.”

Interview postscript

“In Ukraine, when we invite guests to our house, we always greet them like this.



” They prepared a lot of home-cooked meals and welcomed us cheerfully.



On the other hand, at the end of the interview on another day, he had a very uneasy expression and said, ``I'm afraid that February 24th will come. But these days, I'm afraid to look at my phone or watch the news," he said.



About 2,000 people have evacuated to Japan from Ukraine.

Even as we speak, the number of people who have lost their daily lives and lost their precious existence due to war continues to increase.



"War isn't something you watch on TV like it's a movie. It's all real. If people all over the world work together, we can definitely stop it.



" I strongly hope too.

News Reporter


Yuka Hori


Joined the Bureau in 2010


After working in the Metropolitan Police Department and in charge of judicial affairs,


currently covering issues such as refugees and victim relief